First of all, I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience I may have caused you by my unintentionally prolonged journey home, and I hope to be reunited with you and Telemachus as soon as possible. I want you to know that I miss you with all my heart, and will do everything in my power to return quickly, but have found myself rubbing the wrong way with the Gods. After escaping the city of Cicones, a storm sent by Zeus swept our crew along for nine days before bringing us to a seemingly ordinary looking island called the land of the Lotus-eaters, where the natives gave my crew and I intoxicating lotus fruit. I refused, but my crew dug in. As soon as they ate it, they lost all thoughts of home and wanted nothing more than to stay on the island …show more content…
Here we came upon a cave full of sheep and crates of milk and cheese. The men advise me to snatch some of the food and hurry off, but, unfortunately, I decided to linger. The cave’s inhabitant soon returned, and it was the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. He made a show of hospitality at first, but soon turned hostile. He devoured two of my men on the spot and imprisoned us for future meals. I wanted to take my sword to Polyphemus right then, but I knew that he alone would be strong enough to move the rock that he had placed across the door of his cave. So, I begun to devise a plan. The next day, while he was outside pasturing his sheep, I found a wooden staff in the cave. When he returned, I got him drunk on wine that I brought along from the ship. Polyphemus asked me my name, and I replied “Nobody.” As soon as Polyphemus collapses with intoxication, we drove the staff into his eye. He awoke with a shriek, and his neighbors came to see what was wrong, but they left as soon as he called out, “Nobody is killing me.” When morning came, we escaped, unseen by the blind Polyphemus, and clinging to the bellies of the monster’s